Every Action and Word Counts
by Verozexistente
Summary: POST AVENGERS: Gwen O'Hara, psychological profiler, prided herself on keeping a professional distance - until she took on the Loki case. The psych eval was expected to be routine until the breaking point. The more she understands him, the more the dashingly handsome god of mischief nestles his way into her head. The golden realm faces war and Loki is determined to escape the cage..
1. Act 1 First War

**Every Action and Word Counts**

**After**

**...**

Death.

Death everywhere. The battlefield was filled with dead bodies. The Asgardian castle was ruined, destroyed. The former glory of this realm was gone. One could hear the whimpering sounds of the soldiers just before life left them. And their souls left for Valhalla.

Pools of blood. Smoke in the air. The despair was so thick one could have cut it with a knife.

Limbs were spread out. The dreams of the people were spread everywhere. So many who weren't coming home again. So many shattered families.

This was a godforsaken land. One could almost sense the rooting smell that was beginning to spread. Hours ago, this had been a full blown battle. Now there was nothing here. Just the faint minds of the struggling.

She walked over the broken people. The brave people who had fought until their ultimate death. It stung her heart. She was searching for him. The man she had sworn to protect.

He layed there, in a pool of blood. She was not sure if it was his blood or not.

She fell to her knees next him. He looked dead, her god.

Fumbling fingers made him smile faintly. They checked his pulse. A breath of relief left her lips. He opened his eyes slightly. He adored her for what she had done. That woman had walked over the dead, in search for him. The bow and the few remaining arrows hung on her back. She had been shooting... to kill? For him? Most likely. Oh, how he admired this woman!

She pulled him up to his knees. Worry flickered in her eyes. "You're not hurt, right?"

"No, just minor scratches." He chuckled. His voice was strained.

She rested her forehead against his. "I told you I would walk over a battlefield for you."

"And for that, I hold you dear." He grinned and swung his arms around her. Their relationship was doomed to fail, that fact made him grasp her harder. He knew well he wasn't allowed this feeling of content and pure... happiness. No, he was about to get punished in the worst way ever. She was going to be taken away from him. But they wouldn't be able to take this moment from him.

He buried his face into the redhead's hair, determined to remember the feeling. Forever.

…

**Earlier**

…

His hands were chained together by handcuffs smithed by the best in Asgård. Impossible to break. Impossible to escape from. The handicraft was both delicate and powerful. One could easily admire the work of the smith for days.

The handcuffs cut in his wrists painfully. However he didn't focus on the pain. Loki sneered at the guards when they connected his handcuffs with another chain in the floor. His hair had grown over the time in the dungeon, his glass prison, the unruly locks now touched his shoulders.

The room he was in was white, sterile and with an anonymous vibe in the air. He could be executed here and no one would know. Loki smiled at the thought, death didn't scare him anymore. Though boredom did. One of the muscular guards pushed him down in a chair.

"May I ask what the special occasion is?"

The guards grunted and placed another chair in front of him before they returned to their places by the door.

"A visitor maybe?" Who would visit him? His so called _family_? His _father_, the mighty Odin? His _brother_, the god of thunder, Thor? He disregarded them easily. The only remaining possibility was Frigga... His mother. Loki pondered on the fact that Frigga hadn't visited him yet. He had been fooled by his own imagination once. Loki could have sworn that she had been present in his cage. It had been so vivid, so lifelike.

The familiar sound of her rustling gown as she moved over the floor. He had been laying on his side in the bed. Loki hadn't dared to turn around to face her. He could swear that the weight in the bed changed and her fingers ran through his hair. Exactly the same movement through his dark hair as when he was little. Loki had closed his eyes to cherish the moment of bliss. Her fingers disappeared from his hair. He rolled over to tell her not to stop and found the room to be silent and empty of her. Empty of anyone, except for him. Loki still had the feeling of her ghostly fingers running over his scalp.

The door opened, and removed every ounce of the memory from his mind for now. In stepped a woman in her mid twenties. Loki's heart sank in his chest by the sight of the indifferent mortal. But he got his curiosity up when he noted the woman was followed by Thor.

"What owes me this pleasure, _brother_?" He practically spat the last, with a false smile on top. "Welcome to my humble dwelling, sadly I can't make you feel more comfortable, because of my current state." He lifted his locked hands as high as he could to emphasize his point. The chains strained. The muscles of the guards swelled.

"I'm not here for a simple visit." Thor stated, "Though I would prefer a meeting in a different constellation." He added with hand gesture towards the chained Loki. "It saddens me to see you like this, brother." He said the word 'brother' with complete sincerity, instead of pouring venom in it like Loki.

"Then what brings you here, if not to keep me company?" Loki's eyes sparkled.

"She does." He gestured towards the mortal woman.

Loki turned his focus towards her, a wrinkle appeared between his brows as he eyed her. She had strange eyes, brown with yellow tints, like a midgardian lion. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her whole appearance breathed of authority. She dismissed Thor with a flick of a hand. "I will take care of myself for now. Thank you, Mr Odinson."

"Call me Thor, milady."

A small smile appeared on her lips. "Only if you stop referring me as 'milady', then we have a deal!"

He nodded towards her. Almost unnoticeable they smiled in unison to confirm that the play had worked perfectly and they congratulated each other.

Loki eyed the interaction between them curiously. Thor was never this short-spoken. He was a true leader and would take command. It was hard to get him to shut up when he found something interesting to talk about, mainly war and the latest spar. Was it her influence? She sure was something special. She dismissed the guards as well. ("Thank you, but I don't think he will cause any harm, he's chained.")

The woman seated herself on the chair in front of him. The small smile disappeared and her professional attitude took the overhand of the situation. "My name is Gwen O'Hara. I work for an underlying organization of S.H.I.E.L.D. We specialize in the psychology behind terrorists and... well," her voice trailed, "The minds of demi-gods who wants to take over earth, I suppose, as well."

"Terrorist?" Loki tilted his head and smiled as sweetly as an angel.

He scanned her delicate features. Though she was not perfect, far from the standard in Asgård, she had a charming face. The slightly uneven lips were inviting and her softly crooked nose gave her appearance a certain character. The red hair was tied into a ponytail and she was dressed in 'proper' midgardian clothing, jacket, shirt and black pants. The black clothes contrasted her pale skin and she almost looked unhealthy.

Speaking of looking unhealthy, the dark circles under Loki's eyes stood out in his pale white face. Gwen stared straight into his hollow green eyes. She noted his pupils were fully dilated.

"You're not the conventional suicide bomber or kamikaze pilot for that matter," Gwen agreed, "This is something quite out of the ordinary."

"Flattering."

"I wouldn't exactly put it that way."

"Your choice, mortal."

"I do have a name." Her voice was stern now, demanding. "I would prefer if you would use it."

He chuckled. The laugh was almost like a hiss. "_Mortal_. I am not taking your orders."

"Excu-"

"I know exactly why you're here. Your motives are clear as a day. I can read you as simple as any book. You wish to interrogate me, find out about my secrets, use them against me.

"You sure hit the head on the nail, rather quickly." Gwen confirmed. "The organization's aim is to prevent something like this to happen again. We want to intercept this sort behavior before it's too late."

He rolled his eyes. "You might as well leave. I do not wish to tell a disgusting midgardian about my personal thoughts."

_Mental note; Loki is still exactly as mad as he was in New York_._ His stay here hasn't changed him._

She flinched by his sudden outburst. "They didn't exaggerate when they told me you would be extremely rude." Her eyes narrowed. "Do tell me, how many visits have you had since enrolling in this cozy dungeon?"

This time his eyes narrowed and his lips became a thin line.

"How much information about the outside have you encountered during your stay?"

Silence.

"The world is changing. Or rather, Midgård is changing. You made quite an impression in your stay last time."

"And so was my aim." He leaned forward, "You humans were made to be ruled. Some of the pathetic creatures must have realized it was their fate-" His voice purred.

Her left hand connected with his right cheek. Loki's head followed the direction of her smack. "Barely stung," he informed her with as much dignity he could muster.

"I'm terribly sorry," Gwen mimicked his purr, with a little less finesse, "I must inform you I'm right-handed." Her right palm flew out and connected with his left cheek. Loki let out a hiss.

"Done now?" He raised a brow._ Stupid mortal. Little petty creature. _

"I could continue for a thousand years and it would still not be enough as your punishment." She leaned in. Loki also leaned in with a growing smirk on his lips. A mischievous sparkle lit in his dead eyes.

The chains rattled as his hands shoot out. Gwen had placed her hands a little bit too close for his reach. She had practically served her wrists on a silver plate. Loki's long and pale fingers forced her wrists together. She gasped. He worked quickly and pulled her close.

"Scream!" He whispered in her ear.

"I do not fear you!" Gwen retorted with all the stubbornness she could find in all of her cells.

"You should. You are beneath me. Not even worthy the dirt under my shoes." The grip on her wrists tightened. "Scream then, for the guards to save you, as the little petty human you are!"

"I can take care of myself."

"I doubt-"

Loki's hands experienced intense pain, like he was trying to hold fire. He stared at her wrists, they looked like normal wrist, not exactly like they caught on fire. He loosened on the grip, the pain died down, he looked up, in her face. Gwen was already prepared. Her forehead shot forward and hit him on his nose. Whether it was the pain or the burning sensation on his palm or perhaps the surprise that caught him off guard, she would never learn. However he fell back on his chair with a confused expression on his face.

"I think we're done now." She brushed of invisible dust of her shoulder. As if her words were the guards' command, they returned to the door. "Next time I would like to meet him with the glass wall between us." She informed them.

"Did he harass you, milady?" One of the guards asked, with hope in his deep voice, as if he waited for a reason to finally strike the fallen prince.

"No, not at all," she sing-sang, "It's for _his _own safety." Gwen winked in direction towards Loki.

He stared at his own palms, with no trace of fire at all. The indifference he had felt towards her was gone. No ordinary human from Midgård could be able produce pain from thin air like that. Curiosity rose in his chest. A way of escaping the dreadful boredom showed itself and he was sure he would take it.

**A/N: Hello there! If you got this far, you're welcome to tell me what you think in the box below.**


	2. Ch2

Next time he met her was two days later. He dwelt in the hauntingly boredom which seemed to live in the walls of this godforsaken place. Although Gwen turned up again with an air of self evidence that was enough for him to want to strangle someone. Preferably her. She stalked into the dungeon, and seated herself in front of a small desk. A similar desk was placed in his glass prison on the opposite side of the glass wall, to create the illusion that they sat at the same table, having a normal conversation.

"I see you haven't given up yet." He snorted and returned to the small book.

"Never." She had decided to use another tactic this time, the authoritative tone had been perfect for the first meeting, to put him in place, she had after all heard a few things about the prince, now she wanted to gain his trust.

"You're going to get disappointed."

She glanced curiously at him. "How many times have you read that book?" Gwen tried to be as friendly as possible by striking up a conversation about a safe topic. _Time to gain the trust of this murder machine!_

He noted the friendly tone in her voice and scanned her with curiosity. "A few," he answered. To be true he had reread the book 593 times and knew it backwards and forwards, it was just a way of keeping boredom away, but since the book nowadays was so well read he had a hard time keeping boredom away.

"I have been researching!" She said, making it sound like the statement was aimed at no particular. "About Norse mythology... I encountered a rather strange story about you," she looked up from the dusty old book she held in her hands, "Is it true you have a eight legged horse child?" A playful smile curled her lips.

Loki gritted his teeth. "Don't believe everything you read." _Moronic midgardian._

"Who wrote it?"

"I don't know."

She chuckled.

He turned his attention away from her.

Gwen turned page and continued to read with a smile on her lips. Sure it was interesting but the old English, since the book had been translated in the mid 1800's, was tiring to read. A quick glance at the clock told her the time was almost out.

"You might as well give up, mortal. If you are so utterly idiotic you think you could break me." He sneered. Though a sparkle in his eyes told her she was challenged.

"Don't you worry," she returned the sneer, "I will crack you open like lobster pot."

He snorted and returned to the book. She allowed herself to glance a little bit longer than usual. Beneath the dark circles and sickly pale skin hid quite handsome features. She had a hard time to avert the stare. It was nearly impossible to resist. This man, god... monster had killed people while trying to take over whole Earth. Two years later he didn't express the slightest interest in grief, instead he continued to rant about world domination.

He turned page and some wrinkles appeared in his forehead, his lips formed an 'o' and his eyes scanned the page rapidly. The expression gave him an innocent look. For a second did she have a hard time believing this angelic creature could have killed people without mercy. Gwen knitted her eyebrows together and breathed in sharply. Did she seriously doubt his actions because of his looks? She felt sick. _Suppose it's the beautiful villain syndrome in movies. Give the role as the bad guy to a less attractive guy and people will think he's the incarnation of Satan. Cast the most dashing guy one can find as the villain and people will say he's just misunderstood. "Just look at him, I'm sure he didn't mean to boil those fluffy kittens."_

"How's your nose?" She asked with a mean undertone in her voice, trying a little bit too hard to make up for her idiotic thoughts half a minute ago.

He clenched his teeth. "Thank you for asking." Turned page once again. Suddenly he threw the the book away and stood up. Even though his clothes were well worn and he sported dark circles, he knew how to regain the royal vibe about himself. Gwen looked up with interest, eying his every move, as he closed the distance between them. He moved like a panther, or a ballerina for that matter. Loki seated himself in the chair gracefully. "Gwen," he purred, hiding his eyes under long eyelashes.

She waited with her breath stuck in her throat.

"Would you be so kind to tell me exactly how you managed to, how should I put it, burn my palms with no visible traces?" He looked up. Once again she noted his pupils growing big.

A glance at her wristwatch. _Dictate the conditions._ "I'm afraid time's up." She put the Norse book in her bag. "See you another day!"

The sweet smile of his disappeared and was replaced with disgust. "So you are coming back?" He asked with a sour voice.

...

"Concentration, miss O'Hara!" The archer instructor hissed, "Concentration!"

Gwen drew a deep breath and released the arrow. She dared not to look.

The instructor, Mr Pierson, threw his beret on the floor. "You missed! I can't believe you missed the target!"

"It's harder than it looks!" Gwen defended herself. She pushed her red bangs out off her eyesight.

"You must be the worst pupil I've ever had! Do you ever hit the target?" Pierson ranted.

"Give me another chance!" She defended herself.

"You're out of arrows, go and collect them and I will give you another chance." Pierson picked up his beret.

As she wandered towards the target and collected the arrows she realized she was a lousy archer. Some didn't even reach the target, others flew to long, the only arrow that had hit the target balanced edge of the round scoreboard.

"Why do you even bother with this?" Pierson asked. "I thought that after my career as a professional archer I would be handed the best pupils to train," he said, mostly to himself. Though Gwen had a feeling that she was supposed to hear it as well. She returned with a full quiver.

"Now, aim and hit the target! I don't care if you hit the edge of the scoreboard, just aim and shoot."

She collected her breathing.

"The key is to not stir on your hands, you hear me?"

"I hear you."

"Wrong!"

She lost her focus and turned to him with confused eyes.

He shook his head "What was the first rule I told you?"

"To focus so hard on the target you would shut out the rest of the world..."

"... a bomb should be able to go off and you are not even going to notice. Therefore you should not listen to me while you're aiming."

She rolled her eyes. Her teacher, Pierson, usually said one thing and meant another. It was starting to get on her nerves.

She aimed and released the arrow. The bow stirred. Gwen clenched her teeth when she noted the unnecessary movement in the bow and expected the arrow to hit the ceiling instead.

"Damn!" Pierson let out a gasp, "looks like there's some hope for you anyway."

_Bull's eye._


	3. Ch 3

**Mudpie102 – Thanks for the review and support. I'm glad you like the style of the story!**

"Well, you have a 'hit the scoreboard ratio' of 75% now." Pierson exclaimed suddenly behind her back. Gwen almost jumped out of her own skin. Her eccentric instructor was bad for her health, she decided, as she focused on restarting her heart.

"My bull's eye ratio then?"

"Very poor. I would rather not speak about it."

"I am better than you give me credit for," Gwen stated.

"Prove it then," he challenged her. "I want 96,2% or more, today."

"My ratio is 75%, how the hell am I supposed to-?"

"Give me all you got!" Pierson demanded. "I don't want to train someone who doesn't give everything she has."

"But-" she started.

"Go!" He waved her away. "You've been here for months, give me progress."

"Rome wasn't built in one day. I've been shooting for only a few months, why are you expecting 96% then? "

"To challenge you."

She stepped into the hall and placed herself in front of the target. The plastic floor squeaked under her shoes and she could smell the anticipation in the air. Pierson crossed his arms.

First shot; Miss.

Second shot; Hit; 5 points.

Third shot; Miss.

Fourth shot; Hit; 8 points.

Fifth shot; Hit; 2 points.

"Again!" Pierson demanded. "And stop being so uneven. One time you hit bull's eye, the next shot you fail to even hit the target."

She aimed and shot. Over and over again. Until Pierson told her to stop. He calculated. She knew she had performed poorly.

"68,9%. I don't even ask you to hit bull's eye. I ask you to hit the board nearly 100%."

"I'm distracted." She admitted.

"Then you can go home and only come back when you have a 96% ratio."

She stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

"You hear me!" He said over his shoulder.

...

Mr Daves, the head of International Supreme Security Organization, ISSO, closed his laptop. He sat as always by the magnificent desk made of mahogany. His office had the best view of Donau, the relaxing view was beautiful and he often found himself staring out the window more than he should. Yes, Europe was beautiful.

It knocked on the door.

"Do come in." The Englishman said.

The door opened up.

"Would you like some tea?" Mr Daves asked without turning around to face the guest.

"Yes, please." Gwen said.

"I've got the finest Earl Gray."

"As always."

"Sugar, milk?"

"Sugar, please."

Mr Daves offered her the teacup. "Any progress with our Asgardian friend?"

"I'm afraid I have to say no."

Mr Daves sipped on his tea. "I didn't expect it so early. How are you treated by the others from Asgård? Do they treat you with respect?"

"Yes they do."

Mr Daves glanced out through the window again. "The Scandinavians knew about Asgård 1000 of years ago, can you believe that? While the rest of the world encountered them two years ago!"

Gwen shrugged carefully to not spill the tea. Even though her boss was a fairly nice person she found it a bit awkward to drink tea with him.

"Any progress with the archery?" He asked casually.

Gwen cursed herself for being such an idiot that had mentioned her new found hobby two months ago. "My instructor kicked me out last night."

"Oh dear." Mr Daves could hardly contain himself from laughter. "Why is that?"

"I scored 68% when he asked for 96%"

"What does that mean?" He leaned back in his chair.

"It means I missed the score board about 32% of the times trying."

"Practice makes perfect." Mr Daves said. "However I hope you're more successful in your attempts to pump our friend for information. I want his profile, his version of the story on my desk."

"He wont tell me anything," She sighed, "He keeps on telling me what a disgusting mortal I am."

"Earn his trust, break him down, anything to make him start talking." Mr Daves put down his cup. "We fought for the right to interrogate him for a year, though the all father should have given us permission immediately, his son caused chaos during his short stay on Earth. I don't want to see everything we worked for turn into dust."

"How-"

Mr Daves wiggled an eyebrow and said with his typical dry British tone. "Find a weak spot and hit it."

...

"You're back," Loki commented with a dead voice.

"Have you missed me?" She seated herself in her usual chair.

"Not particularly."

She sighed. Loki was reading the same book again. "Are you not done yet with that book?"

"I decided to reread it."

"Again?"

He closed his eyes. "I have nothing else to do here," Loki said with a slow voice, his index finger and thump massaged the nose.

"What do you say about breaking that spell and we start talking?" Gwen offered. "A little conversation could-"

"Go home to where you belong."

She snorted and waited for the mandatory nasty insult from him. It never came. Surely would a simple _"Go home"_ not be enough.

Gwen stared at him in disbelief. "What exactly did they sedate you with?"

He looked up from his book. "I beg your pardon?"

"Where's the standard '_I'm going to kill you because you're a mortal from Midgård_' – phrase of yours?"

"Do you like being insulted?" Loki asked slowly.

She shook her head. _Brilliant!_ Gwen opened her new book and put her feet on the table. "I assume you're not willing to talk this time either."

"You assume correct."

She smiled when he started to move uncomfortably in his glass cage after 10 minutes. She turned page, still smiling. Gwen reread the standard procedure of firing an arrow. She knew it in theory, but failed to turn theory into reality, at least in 32% of the cases.

"What are you reading about?"

Gwen looked up and knew she might regret this. "Archery."

She scanned his features, he looked like he had swallowed his own tongue. Apparently he regretted the question. Gwen tilted her head and said, "I'm not going to bite you for simply asking a question and trying to be a little bit social." She winked and played along with the friendly nature she had adopted.

"Archery? Do you shoot well?"

"Not yet."

"Not yet?"

"I'm a beginner, but I guess I could show you some day."

He snorted. "What a show!" Loki rolled his eyes.

"Trust me, I would score 100%," she retorted feisty.

"100%, if you say so?" His smile didn't reach his eyes, instead he was stuck with a terrible expression, enough to make brave men pee their pants.

She turned page again. "I can read out loud for you if would like to hear something different for a change."

His lips curled in his famous disgusted expression. "A book from Midgård about something as trivial as archery?"

"Go on and read your old books again then if that suits your better."

Fifteen seconds passed.

He seated himself in the chair by the desk once again. "Read," he demanded.

She raised a brow and her authoritative persona kicked in; "Earn it."

"Excuse me?"

"Earn it! Are you deaf?" She rolled her eyes. "Nothing, my dear prince, is free in this world."

His features froze. "True." Before his face loosened up again. "Miss Gwen O'Hara," The way he pronounced her name gave her chills up her spine, "I bid my apologies for acting in a way that has not been suitable."

_What a strange way of saying; "I'm sorry." Though it works._

"Apology accepted." She started reading from the page she was on. Loki rested his head in his head, she looked up momentary, his eyes were closed as if he was sleeping. The dark circles under his eyes were darker than ever. Did he never sleep? Her mouth went dry from reading out loud, but she didn't want to quit reading when he looked so blissful.

However she reached the last page rather quickly.

"Are you finished?" His usually dead eyes expressed some sort of hunger and defeat.

"I am afraid so," Gwen confirmed.

"You have a captivating reading voice," Loki said and immediately looked like he regretted it.

She could tell she blushed, "Thank you, Loki."

"My mother used to read for me when I was a little kid." He mumbled with a dead tone, spiced with longing and the far away look in the eyes people usually had when they talked about good old memories.

_Mental note: Mother figure, Frigga, is still on good terms. _

**A/N: Hello and thank you for reading! I also want to say hello to all of you who clicked 'favorite' and followed! I can tell you that the next chapters are going to be very exciting! It involves bows, card tricks, arrows and dummies! Sounds interesting? **

**I'm happy when I hear from the readers, you are very welcome to drop a review!**


	4. Ch4

"Milady!"

Gwen rolled her eyes as she walked past Heimdall and found the thunder god waiting for her. "I believe we agreed on dropping the titles?"

"Gwen," Thor corrected himself.

"How are you?" She asked. "By the way, you did a great job with the acting, we certainly put Loki in place. I think he's still scared." Gwen chuckled.

Thor allowed himself to chuckle as well before a stern look on his face returned. "It's hard for me to see my brother in chains."

Gwen dropped the chuckle. "Of course." She bit her lip. "He's your brother no matter what, right?"

"I wish he could see it for himself. Even though he's 'adopted', we care for him deeply. I can't see why he hangs up on that petty detail. He might not be my brother by blood, but he is very dear to me. He is a brother."

They walked in silence and Gwen pondered on what Thor might want from her. They steered themselves into the dungeons of the magnificent royal palace. The sight was still breathtaking for Gwen, she knew she would never see anything as beautiful as this again when her mission was completed. She decided to memorize this wonderful place and forever keep it in her heart, locked away, safe.

Thor made a strange gesture in the air, clearly unsure of what to do or say. "Gwen, I would like to ask you about my brother."

"I'm listening."

"Has he changed over the month you have been visiting him?"

"Well," she started with a sarcastic voice, "he still believes since I'm from Midgård I should be executed on the spot, but nowadays he keeps those thoughts to himself instead of shoving them in my face."

"A big step for Loki."

She agreed. "I usually read for him, but I've not managed to get him to answer the questions yet."

"You are interested in what made him... eh, take over Midgård?"

She nodded and changed the subject. "Any reason why _you_ ask about him?" She asked softly.

"The queen is worried about him. She sent me to ask." Thor explained.

Gwen raised a brow. "Isn't she visiting him?"

Thor shook his head. "The king believes she would be hurt by his harsh words and wants to protect her. He wont let her."

Gwen stomped through the door, leading to Loki's glass cage. The guards with the swelling muscles left and positioned themselves on the outside. She turned to Thor with a scowl, "Do you know what I hate more than men who think they can control women? Women who doesn't stick up for themselves! You can go and tell Frigga that she can come down here and see for herself instead of asking you to ask me!"

"Those exact words?" Thor wondered. He glanced in sideways.

"Yes, or course, don't you dare to put censorship on my words." She glanced quickly at Loki who eyed both of them with curiosity. He had tilted his head and followed their discussion with great interest.

Thor nodded shortly at Loki and left.

Gwen, still boiling with anger, sat down in her usual chair. She kicked the table in frustration. _Why wouldn't she come and visit to see how he managed for herself? That woman claimed to be his mother_! She stared at the table and worked on controlling her breathing. Over the month she had been visiting, she had realized she was the only visitor. He never spoke of anyone else from his family or friends who paid a visit, no one showed up when she was there. He was extremely alone.

_This is not how you stop and threat a mad man, this is how you create madness, enough to kill. They are just repeating the same pattern._

The sound of a chair scrapping against the floor was heard in the silence. Loki's velvet voice pierced through her thoughts. "What was the topic of your discussion?"

"I would rather not tell you."

"It seems to involve me."

She sighed, "Frigga asked Thor to ask me to report on how you're doing. You can't blame me for getting frustrated, why doesn't she come down here by herself?" She spat.

"Odin, he thinks he knows best," Loki hissed with venom.

_Mental note: Father figure, Odin, not on good terms._

...

"I want to show you something I think you'll like," Gwen said and tried desperately to return to the friendly tone. She retrieved a deck of cards and small black bowls. "I read in the Norse book that you are known as the trickster and god of mischief, you will probably like this." She sorted the cards and picked a red queen, a black king and a black knave.

Loki stared at the cards with an uninterested look in his face.

Gwen pushed the cards towards him and told him to memorize their positions before she covered them with the upside down bowls.

His uninterested look had morphed into a plain bored look. "Do you honestly think I will be impressed by this stupid midgardian play?"

"Don't you worry, it comes with a twist." She switched bowl's places over and over again, span them fast before she placed them in a perfect line. "Where's the queen?"

"Your right."

"The king?"

"Your left."

"The knave?"

"In the middle." He rolled his eyes now.

"Let's check." She removed her right bowl and revealed the red queen.

Loki smirked.

Gwen continued and revealed the black king.

Loki smirked even more. "Looks like I saw through your stupid little card trick."

"You might have, but let's check it out to be sure." She removed the bowl carefully and out flew a white dove. This time she smirked when she saw his confused face. The white bird flew around in the room. "Did you really see that one coming?" She asked and chuckled.

"How-?"

She whistled and held out her hand, the dove seated itself in her palm. Her fingers closed around the dove's body and it seemed to shrink the more she squeezed. "Do tell me, Loki, what was the color of the knave again?"

"Black."

She opened her hand and revealed a folded card. With quick fingers, she unfolded it and showed it to him. The knave was red.

His eyes grew wide. "Where have you learned to do that?"

"I have not simply learned it. It's something I have been able to do for a long time," she answered truthfully.

"It's like the fire trick on my hands."

"You had that one coming."

Loki smirked and raised a perfect eyebrow. His eyes expressed mischief and Gwen's breathing got stuck in her throat. He sure knew how to smirk.

She decided to confront him, "Does this amuse you?"

"To be honest," his index finger moved in a circle pattern on the table, "it does. It tends to get extremely boring down here."

"Then I arrived like a shining knight and slapped you on your cheeks." Gwen joked.

"You could say so." _You did more_. "How's it going with your archery?"

"Funny thing you would ask." Gwen ran her hand through her red hair and her brown eyes with yellowish tints sparkled. "I train every night, when I'm not at the office with boring reports or here."

"That's the schedule to your life? Sounds boring to me."

"My life is way more entertaining than yours!" She replied fast as a cobra would react. "My job is to interrogate criminals and establish a profile. My job claims a great part of my life."

"So I am just your metaphorical laboratory rabbit?"

"Sure, I note everything you say and how you act," she leaned forward, "especially how you act."

"What's so special about how I act?"

"I've noted how your pupil dilates to extreme extent, even though we're in a room with _extreme lightning_."

He let out a hiss.

Gwen knew she had caught him off guard and decided to push him further. She continued, her heart beat fast when she delivered the question, "when you found out you were adopted-"

Loki's face turned green, just like the jumper he wore. "You have no right to ask me about that!"

She leaned forward. "You must understand. I want to know why-"

"You are here because the boss of yours sent you here to complete your so called profile," he interrupted her. His eyes were wide and expressed fury, Loki's knuckles turned whiter than ever when he gripped the edge of the table. The furniture in his glass cage flew against the glass walls, as if a storm had caught them."When you have finished this project, you will go home happily and continue your life as if nothing happened." His smirk turned into something ghastly. "I, on the other hand, will be stuck here to rot away for centuries. I will be here long after you left the midgardian life."

She gulped. He was right, she wouldn't care less about him if she hadn't been picked for this mission. It was the truth, even if it stung terribly in her heart.

"Do you sleep well at night?" Loki suddenly asked.

"I'm sorry?" Gwen asked with a confused tone.

"Do. You. Sleep. Well. At. Night?" Loki emphasized every word like she was a child. He stood up slowly, the chair fell behind him. With a sudden movement, he pushed the desk to his right side. Gwen jumped from his actions. He leaned on the glass, towering over her. He was tall, she noted. "Answer me!" His sudden outburst made her fall back.

"What does my sleeping habits have to do with this?" Gwen asked foolishly as she regained her composure.

"Do you ever dissect your own actions? You claim to analyze me and my behavior... yet you don't realize how large shadow you cast! Every time you walk out of that door with more and more pieces of my soul to put in files, to be stored and used to measure other," his beautiful face twisted, "criminals. Souls like me. Unwanted."

_Mental note; The news of his adoption was most likely the catalyst. Might be a trigger in the future as well if he's ever released from the prison. The feeling of being outcast and unwanted has probably been a part of his life as long as he could remember._

She had no answer.

"Do you know what it's like to, deep down, know you're not equal to your brother, not good enough for your father figure?" Loki closed his eyes and his lips trembled. He was about to sob, she was sure of it. She got up and walked up to him, only a glass wall between them to keep them apart.

She began, using a soft tone in her voice. "Loki, listen to me- You feel-"

"Don't tell me what _I _feel!" He opened his emerald eyes and she could only see depths.

Her subject was exhausted. He had shown more emotions in the latest minutes than her whole months-long examination of him. Perhaps it was the best to leave it. Still she didn't want to leave the conversation when the door was open..."No, you are right. I have no idea of what you feel. It's not my right to claim I understand your emotions." Gwen stared into his emerald eyes. She decided to give a bold speech. "Though, I wonder if this is the first time you've realized the weight of your punishment. Does that make you feel regret over the lives you have ended?"

He snorted, his eyes darkened.

"We're done for this time." She turned around and collected her bag before she strode out.

Loki stared after her after the door had closed. She left exactly 56 minutes and 37 seconds too early today. On the desk, on her side of the glass wall, lied the red knave. Forgotten and unwanted, like him. The glass was almost electric, his magic was bound in the walls. How ironic it was, that his own magic held him there.

Though his magic had flaws.

The prison walls were weaker in the left corner. The magic pulsed with lesser force in that exact spot. It was enough for him to not break the glass, but maybe enough for him to retrieve things... He had to act quickly before the guards placed themselves on his side of the door. With more force than usually necessary, he focused on the card.

The door opened.

The guards stepped in, as always with their anonymous looks on their faces.

The red knave materialized in his hand.

**A/N: Thanks for the support, you know who you are!**


	5. Ch 5

Her best friend since childhood, Jenny, smiled over the beer. "How are you, darling? I haven't seen you for ages!"

"Busy working and shooting... arrows."

"You haven't given up yet, Gwen? I thought you said you were terrible."

"I have a plan."

"Oh!" Her blue eyes went wide. "Care to tell me?"

Gwen ran a hand through her red hair. "Not tonight, I want to have fun!" Her tone didn't exactly scream, _"I'm here for a good time!"_ It must be Loki's sullen mood that has spread.

Jenny glanced around in the bar. "You have not really chosen the best place. There will be no fun here. This place is as dead as a graveyard."

Gwen emptied her beer. "Another one," she said to the barman.

"Oh, hello there!" Jenny whistled. "Looks like we died and ended up in heaven. Two hotties, three o'clock." She smiled and waved discreetly at them. "That will do it." She purred.

They walked over and immediately struck up a conversation.

...

Gwen wasn't the person to regret her past or actions. But this was something she would regret. The taller guy had immediately taken interest in Jenny, the pretty brunette with the icing eyes, while she was left with the other guy. Liam. He wasn't extremely interested in her and instead he paid more attention to the drinks.

Two hours in. He was completely wasted and he rested his head heavily on her shoulder. He mumbled something about an ex lover. She rolled her eyes. With a sigh Gwen watched Jenny leave with the more charming guy. She called a taxi for the drunk man.

"_I would rather have a glaring contest with Loki than this." _

Her heart stopped. Would she rather spend time with a _that_ person? She tried to push away the illogical feeling of warmth that spread in her chest just by the thought of _him_. His sarcastic retorts. His eyes. Gwen stalked home in the chilly night.

...

"What do you keep in this box on wheels?" Thor asked with curiosity. He had been waiting for her arrival through the bifrost. The bifrost had been recreated by the best from Asgård. Heimdall was back as if he never had been gone. The sight was marvelous and most of all promising. A new era was on the rise. An era of hope now when the younger prince was behind bars.

"It will be a surprise." Gwen answered and handed the handle to him. "Would you be kind and help me?"

"Of course."

Before he could start and rant about damsels in distress she asked him the mandatory questions of how he was dealing normal, daily life and how the latest spar had turned out. She pulled the bag, containing her bow and arrows, on her shoulder.

"You have not been here for weeks." Thor noted. "Is it a part of the plan?"

"Not exactly," she admitted through gritted teeth. "We didn't exactly go along well _last_ time I visited."

"What did he say?"

"The usual."

"Your hopes are high for this trick then?"

"How do you know it's a trick?"

"How else would you win him over to your side?" Thor chuckled, "my brother loves tricks. He is the eternal prankster. You must have noticed over the time you've been here."

"If you would describe your brother with just a few words, when he was a kid, what would those words be?" They rounded a corner. The flames that lit up the corridor made their faces appear like cartooned versions of themselves, like someone had photoshoped them a little bit too much.

Thor began, he chose his words carefully, "Quiet. Intellectual. Loner." His tone changed from serious to somewhat mischievously, "Mommy's boy."

Gwen let out a laugh. "Really?"

"Yes, I can swear on Mjölner, he adored Frigga."

"That's strange to hear."

Thor's voice was filled with sudden anger. "Does he speak badly of her?"

"No, not at all. I just meant the fact that he's a- I mean if we judge him based of what he have done," Gwen defended him.

"My brother is more than the New York incident. Sadly he's blind for-" Thor stopped. They stood in front of the door, leading to Loki's cage. "Ladies first." He gestured towards her to go in.

She laughed with nervousness. "I was about to say; Gods first."

Thor, the god of thunder, winked at her.

...

"I'm sorry Loki, but we need to draw the curtains, otherwise it would not be a surprise." Gwen apologized and braced herself for one of his more nastier glares. Instead he looked up with some sort of... relief in his eyes. He casually threw the well read book away and stood up. Loki opened his mouth to say something but hesitated and glanced at Thor.

Behind the curtain, both Gwen and Thor concentrated on the mysterious box. Thor opened the big box. "Oh, it's a doll!"

She bit her lip. "More like a life size dummy," she continued. "Watch out it's quite heavy-," Gwen stopped.

Thor glared at her and lifted the dummy easily. She smiled apologetically and assembled the dummy support construction. They worked in silence and could step back and admire their work after three minutes. The dummy was now 'standing up' like a normal person.

"What is your plan? I am eager to know."

"I'm afraid you will get the second hand information. This show is for Loki only." Gwen continued to mouth the rest. _"To gain his trust."_

Gwen didn't exactly feel great to not have Thor by her side when she confronted Loki again. Although she could never allow Thor to see her little act of 'mutiny'. It would be the end of their almost friendship. She had grown fond of the thunder god who would turn up with a smile on his lips and speak pompously about the latest spar or his lady Jane Foster.

A little bit disappointedly he accepted. The door shut behind Thor and Gwen was quite relieved that the guards were on the outside. She would never have gotten permission to do this. A death sentence in Asgård was not what she wished for.

Gwen moved the desk and chair out of the way and positioned the dummy close to the glass wall. She searched for the eye patch in her pocket. Her fingers fumbled and her heart beat fast. She desperately tried to calm herself down by placing her head between her knees in a sitting position. She could hear Loki pace inside the cage like a worried animal.

Gwen stood up again to retrieve her things from her bag. She was cold sweating right now! When she was done were the bow and quiver along with arrows out and in her hands. She admired her work. The eye patch was fastened on the dummy and she had tied a big red scarf, a cape around the dummy's neck.

"Ta-da!" Gwen exclaimed as she removed the curtains.

Loki stood on the other side and almost got a shock. He faced the dummy with the characteristic features of Odin with a look of disgust. "What does this mean?" His voice was laced nauseate.

She snaked an arm around the dummy's waist. "What do you say? Isn't he a beauty? I call him Larry." Gwen's voice shook a bit.

"That is obviously not a 'Larry'."

"You're right. I guess you see who he resembles." She fastened the quiver on her shoulder properly and walked behind the dummy. "I told you I would give you a show. Please accept this offer and forgive me."

He snorted, though his eyes sparkled. Loki had a hard time to refrain from the bored mask.

"How many knows about your plan?" Loki asked casually. "You obviously didn't tell my brother. He wasn't going to take it well, I suppose."

"I decided it was for the best to not tell anyone."

"But you decided it was safe to perform your little trick for me? I feel honored," Loki said. "I'm judging on the scene in front of me, the Odin doll and your bow..."

"Would you tell anyone?" Her breath almost got caught in her throat. Maybe she had judged him poorly. Maybe he would shout "Disrespect of the all father" on the top of his lungs. And therefore jail her for good. The perfect way of stabbing her in the back.

"Surely, this wouldn't be appreciated if the all father himself gained the knowledge of your stunt," Loki purred, clearly enjoying to frighten her.

"Then it would be a shame if someone, especially the person behind glass walls, would start talking."

"Yes," he agreed. "He would miss the show the lovely guest had promised."

She smiled.

"Still," he interrupted. Loki casually moved across the room before he stood in front of the dummy again. "I don't think you have the guts to do it. You wouldn't hurt a fly, am I right? Gwen, you are just teasing, stretching the boundaries. But you are too much of a nice girl to actually cross the line. You want to remain on the safe side." He revealed his perfect teeth. "You are not the only one who is analyzing. Love, you are a pretentious creature, a bit dull and most of all gutless!"

"Would it surprise you if I did it then?"

"A great deal to be honest."

Gwen's eyes narrowed. He had caught the bait perfectly. "Watch me! Let me prove to you that your profile of me is terribly wrong."

She drew an arrow from the quiver and placed herself in position. Gwen had drawn a '**X**', with coal, in the back of the dummy to signal where she had to hit. Loki watched her with great interest. This was it, all the nights she had practiced, determined to come back to Pierson and shoot all the arrows in bull's eye. Still, this was more serious. To miss was not an option.

"What if I called on the guards in this exact moment?" Loki suddenly asked and drew a scenario where the guards would bolt through the door and find her, aiming, against a doll with the characteristic features of Odin.

"You wouldn't." she responded with more confidence in her voice than the actual amount in her heart.

"Why do you think that?" Loki asked sweetly.

"Because you want to enjoy the damn show!" _And you hate Odin_.

The back of the dummy's head was smaller than the scoreboard. Though she now hit the scoreboard without problems, this was harder. The shot had to be perfect. She could hear Pierson's characteristic saying in her ears; _"Aim and close the door to the rest of the world."_

Gwen aimed.

The bow released the arrow.

The arrow entered the skull of the dummy and the top came out on the other side before it stopped halfway through.

Loki's whole face lit up in laughter. She had never seen him this joyful before. Gwen had grown so used to his usual sneers and snickers she had a hard time believing he could smile sincere. The fact that he smiled at the thought of Odin's head being pierced by an arrow was a weird side effect.

_Mental note; He clearly have daddy issues._

She checked the the arrow's way through the skull of dummy – Odin.

Perfect!

It had pierced the eye patch.

"I told you my score would be 100%."

Loki didn't contain his laughter anymore.

**A/N: Special thanks to you guys and everyone else who have been reading! Next chapter will be longer and Frigga turns up for the first time!**

**Shattered Glass, ****Broken Infinity, 21, mudpie102, CaterpillarWhisperer, Meuraillah, Riifia, SilverKitsuneGrlAngel.**


	6. Ch 6

Frigga knew she should have turned up earlier. She knew very well Loki had expected her to visit. The little boy who once had came to her and hid in her skirts whenever he was teased by Thor. The boy who had grown to a lonesome individual who valued his time alone highly. Where and when everything had gone wrong was still a mystery for her. Maybe it was his long hours in the royal library. Was it the fact that she had left him alone to ponder too much? She should have been there for him, to let him ventilate his thoughts, maybe to steer him in the right path.

Her golden gown rustled as she walked down the corridor. The past years had aged her, the loss of the prince, her son, weighted upon her heart.

The guards hesitated when she requested to be allowed in the glass cube. "My queen, he is dangerous and we have orders-"

"He is my son! I do not tolerate that a simple guard would go between me and my son."

"Do forgive me, my queen."

Frigga dismissed them with a glare enough to scare a lion. She was allowed into the cage and the guards placed themselves in their usual positions.

"I thought you would never come," Loki said. He rested against the wall and followed her as she awkwardly moved around in the glass cube. She was out of place here. Her whole appearance smelled of luxury from her perfectly styled hair to the bejeweled gown. As she stood in the white and sterile room with few mismatched furnitures, she sure looked incredibly out of place.

"I'm here now," was all she could say.

"What brings you here?" Loki looked bored, he was not interested in the actual answer. His question was rather a formally.

Frigga tilted her head as she took in the look of him. He was a shattered version of himself. Broken. "My mind was changed when Thor delivered a message from the midgardian girl."

This time Loki tilted his head and listened with interest.

"I truly feel ashamed for sneaking in the dark and demanding news about you instead of visiting you." She sat down beside him on the floor. "Could you forgive me?"

He didn't answer.

The silence from him was heartbreaking. Indifference was worse than hate. Frigga almost wished he would scream, shout or cry. Rather than sitting there silent, being this apathetic shell of man she never had knew.

A small smile crept on his lips. "Did Thor give you the uncensored version?"

"Do you mean if the message Thor delivered humiliated me? If so, yes it did."

He tried to contain his laughter.

Frigga scanned with surprise how his features softened. For a second she could see the sweet boy he had been centuries ago. Her worry grew. "Loki, you do realize her aim is to get into your head. She may appear like a friend, someone you can talk with safely. Do not forget she has a goal."

"Why was she allowed here then?"

"We owe Midgård this and don't necessary like this constellation. We tried to prevent this. Odin tried to protect you!"

"_Protect_ me? Do you realize how bad that word rings in my ears?"

"My point," she interrupted, "is that you should be careful around this girl. Do not give in and give her what she wants. We can participate with this play by putting up a facade that we are cooperates with the midgardians."

Loki knew Gwen would read him like a book even if he didn't say a word to her. That statement scared him, not the fact that she analyzed him, rather the fact that he didn't mind. "_She is special, still a dull midgardian, but she's got something,_" he pondered in silence. The memory of Gwen shooting an arrow through the metaphorical eyeball of Odin still amused him.

"I have nothing against the girl as a person, rather what she stands for, I believe she's capable enough. Although she might be a little bit too capable." The message Thor had delivered with obvious embarrassment was still in fresh memory. The girl was bold and foolish. Frigga suspected it was her audacious nature that interested Loki more than it should.

She caressed his cheek. "Be careful."

_Don't worry, I already have her around my finger_. Loki smiled somewhat reassuringly towards Frigga.

...

A smile tugged on his lips when Gwen walked in again. His features frowned as he noted that she sported slightly eyes with red rims and her nose had the same shade of red.

Gwen smiled apologetically before she sneezed. "I'm afraid I caught the cold."

He fell to his back on his bed and stared into the ceiling. "What season is it on Midgård?"

"Early autumn," Gwen said and suppressed another sneeze. "I've been visiting you for nearly four months now. I've practically ruined the whole summer by sitting here."

"Do you regret it?" Loki asked with a frown.

She laughed it off. "I brought a book called The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald. Have you read it?"

"No."

"What are you waiting for then?" Gwen asked with a pretended irritated tone. Her eyes sparkled. "I'm in no position to read out loud because my voice is so hoarse now. I figure you could be the one reading."

Her voice was definitely not hoarse. Was she lying?

Loki's eyes opened. His heart began pounding. Did she plan on opening his cage? Was she going to go inside to him? The possibility of having her so close, so he could reach out and touch her was intriguing.

Her plan wasn't so bold. Gwen offered to hold the book for him so they could read together. Both of them slid down on opposite sides of the glass in the left corner. They seated themselves so close that, if it wasn't for the glass, they would have practically been pressing their bodies towards each others.

Loki grinned. This was the corner with the weak spot.

Time passed and the pages were turned. Gwen realized that Loki was both an impatient and a fast reader. They were reaching the end when one of them uttered a word for the first time.

"This Gatsby mortal is a complete idiot!"

"Why do you say that?" Her response was almost aggressive. Gwen would never admit it, but the Gatsby character was somewhat of a heartthrob to her.

"He has everything. He built his own life, turned the tables, became successful... yet, he feels the need to impress that blonde air head."

"You're not a fan of Daisy, I can tell."

"She's a twisted metaphor for the greedy... she wants to have the cake but also to eat it."

"Don't you think Gatsby is greedy?" Gwen asked and protected the Daisy character. Last time she read this book, in her teens, she had been so involved in the sad romance that she hadn't analyzed it further. Gatsby and Daisy had remained as the couple who could never have each other. As Loki analyzed the story, she realized he had a point. "Did Gatsby ever truly love Daisy? Or was he simply a social climber who viewed Daisy as means of elevating his social status?"

He chuckled. "His love was obsessive, and it was ultimately destructive. But if he was merely a social climber, he wouldn't have gone back to find Daisy and strive so hard to reconnect with her."

"Daisy then?" She asked and caught him staring at her face. "What?"

"How's your so called 'cold'?" He asked with a downgrading tone in his voice, as if he wanted to reprimand her. "Your eyes and nose are back to their usual color."

They stared at each other.

Loki put on a charming smile. "Daisy is the true sociopath here, she is only in love with Gatsby's fortune. She is warming him up and if the right opportunity shows itself, if Gatsby happens to have more money and better reputation than Tom, she's going to leave her husband."

"That's quite pessimistic. Besides, I can't see why she would leave her husband for Gatsby. People would start talking and ruin her reputation and Daisy only cares about her reputation. Do you want to read the end? We have about six or seven pages to go."

"No, you can tell me how it ends, now when your voice is fine again," he teased.

She scowled. "Fine, Gatsby-"

"I want to try something," Loki interrupted.

"What?"

"Would you be kind and move yourself?"

"Why?"

He was about to order or maybe threaten her to move, something stopped him. He went for a softer alternative. "Please."

She knitted her eyebrows together. "When you're asking so nicely." She moved away enough for another person to take a seat between them.

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"It would ruin the surprise!"

"Surprise?" Gwen muttered sourly. She closed her eyes and waited. Something braced her thigh. She closed her eyes harder, squeezed them tight together. A pair of fingers ran through her hair. Her eyes flew open. Loki grinned at her, only inches apart from her.

"_Shit!"_ was the first thing she thought. The glass was gone! _"He's going to kill me!"_ was the next thought.

She jumped up and clumsily got behind the table and held the chair in front of her.

That was when she noticed the strange part. There were two versions of him.

"Have I gone mad?" She asked out loud to no one in particular.

"No, sadly not." The Loki version on her side glanced at cage - Loki. "I'm an illusion, I believe you midgardians say hologram?"

"Did you pick up on the sci-fi genre on your last visit to Midgård?

"Pardon?" He was genuinely confused.

She shook her head to dismiss his question. "You look very real."

"Thank you." Illusion - Loki smiled wide. "Although, this is very tiring." The cage – Loki had closed eyes and a pained look on his face.

"How the hell do you do that?" She was damn sure Thor had explained that Loki's magic was bound in the walls.

He smiled wider. "It exists a weak spot in this corner, it's enough for my mind to break through but nothing more."

Gwen lowered the chair. Curiosity rose. "Can you do more? Can you, for instance, move around?"

He stood up and walked towards her, each step seemed to blend him, he was translucent when he finally stood in front of her. Her hand moved out to touch him, and the hand moved right through him. "You are an illusion!" She stated amazed.

Loki's smile grew wider, he backed, his body seemed to materialize itself. He leaned against the corner again.

She was frozen in her place. "Now, you look... real again." She gulped.

"One might want to put their words like that." He held out a hand. "Want to test?"

_Curiosity killed the metaphorical cat._

Their hands connected.

Gwen gasped. She could feel his hand in her palm. Yet, the hand wasn't there. It didn't feel real to full extent, but was enough to fool people with no experience in the field.

"Is that an illusion as well?"

He nodded.

"You are good! My illusions are-" Gwen stopped herself.

"Your illusions are what?"

"Forget it." She waved it off. "My point is, you are quite skilled in this field."

"I am a god and a sorcerer," he concluded proudly.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Do you have to be so smug about it?"

Loki smiled and grasped her hand harder, before he pulled her a little closer. "Gwen, what are _you_?" He whispered and towered above her.

His voice was enough to make any person's knees weak. _Do not show weakness!_ "A petty little mortal, that's how _you_ put it, right?" was her quick and sarcastic retort.

A strange sound erupted from his throat. A flick of pain flashed in his green eyes. Even though he usually had the charismatic appearance as a royal, despite the well worn clothes, and always held his posture high, he shrunk. Like an embarrassed child who was about to get scold by the angry mother. " I didn't- I meant- What gave you your certain _ability_?"

She sighed. "Long story, I don't want to bore you," Gwen said and avoided the subject. Even though she knew that he never would be able to drop it.

He looked suddenly tired, like he never had slept in the past 1000 years. "In my current state is your 'boring' story the most effective way to push dreadfulness away."

"Am I the only idiot who visits you?"

"More or less."

"More or less?" she echoed. "Well, Loki," she drew her hand away from his, "care to make a deal?"

He squinted his eyes, "what kind of deal?"

"I tell you one story, one part of my ability and you answer one of my questions?" She sneered. "You have to answer my questions truthfully, liesmith."

His lips became a thin line.

She paced casually in a round circle. "You can of course choose to walk away from this deal empty-handed. If you do not dare to take this chance!"

"We have a deal," he decided.

...

"What are you?" Loki immediately asked.

"Tss." Gwen rolled her eyes. "You're asking the wrong question."

"I repeat myself, we have a deal!"

"That I should tell you a story of my abilities, not what I am."

_Honestly, did you fell for that one, god of silver tongue?_

He seated himself in the corner, defeated.

"I am, however, allowed to ask you any question." Gwen said with a cheerful voice.

"Pick your question with care then." It sounded as a full scale threat coming from his lips.

Gwen almost bounced on the floor, she was so happy that she finally was going to have one of her questions answered. Her mind raced in 180 km/h, how should she present the question, should she seat herself next to him to create a friendly atmosphere? After quick deliberation in her mind, she sat down beside him. _He felt so real_. First, she was about to ask him if she was allowed to touch him again to see if she had been deceived last time, but she bit it back, the god of mischief would probably happily claim she already had used her question.

"My question is about your regrets." Gwen scanned him.

He looked away with a stone face.

"How you think of the people, whose lives you ended, the relatives and the friends who never get to see their brother, sister, friend, daughter, son, mother or father again. If we put, one possible midgardian friend of yours, into the scenario, would you still have done it?" Gwen tensed up.

He didn't answer at first.

She was beginning to think he would never answer.

"I have no regrets."

_Of course!_

"Don't you care about-?"

"Power is not for the weak." He seemed to have an inner turmoil, like he didn't fully believe his own words. _Or just wanted to give of the impression that he didn't believe his harsh words_.

"It's not a trait of weakness to care and regret." She stepped into the next gnawing part of the question. "The scenario I mentioned earlier..."

"I do not know any midgardians." He looked smug.

"But you know me."

The smug grin dropped, it was washed away from his features. His eyes became wide as plates. She had a hard time trying to analyze his behavior. What if he was acting? Trying to add an empathic side to himself. Maybe he thought he could gain something (_freedom)_ if he showed a soft side, that he cared.

"What if I was in New York during your stay in Midgård and I fell victim of your rampage..."

"I can't think of it. It's impossible to imagine." His tone was cryptic. Gwen couldn't properly decipher it. It was far away from the former threats and bad mouthing she had received before. Gwen was certain that he would take the chance to proclaim his dominance over her. To rub in her face that she was beneath him, since he was the god and she was the mortal.

"Why?"

"You have asked more than one question already!" he bit back. "I've been nice towards you and answered more than I should."

_Nice?_

"These types of questions needs to be asked. If we ever want to prevent anything like this to happen in the future."

"So, I am the monster that's needs to be evaluated and questioned," he stated with a dead voice. _Was this a part of the play?_

"You certainly like to present yourself as the monster since you do not want to give me your reasons. You do not tell me why you did this. The causes, the path and your motives. You remain as a blank sheet, someone who just kills for no reason."

"Maybe that's what I am."

She stared at his profile. "Do you believe that?"

He turned to her. "Gwen, dear, the question is rather, do _you_ believe that?"

"What I believe is not interesting in this case."

His eyes remained half closed. "But you are writing a report on me. I do believe that your view of this whole spectacle, if I may out it like that, is crucial!"

Gwen shook her head. "I'm requesting your point of view. This is about you."

"One of the reasons I despise the Daisy character is the fact that she was a rich sociopath only in love with Gatsby's fortune. She only long for material arts, such as the beautiful shirts she admired."

"Don't you think your power hunger is similar to Daisy's strive for a high social position?"

"Finally you start questioning." He murmured. "I was beginning to think you were foolishly naïve."

"What? Is it a game we're playing? Who sets the rules? Who's the puppet on strings?" Her voice broke but she returned with greater force. "Who is the person that plays on both sides, who manipulates?" She referred to him. Anger was evident. It radiated from her form when she asked the final question. "Who hates just for the sake of hating?"

"Of course it's a game. Everything is a game!" He reached up and started playing with her hair. "Your organization and my so called 'father' sets the rules. You are allowed here, a certain time range, before you walk out of this room with stories of me for your rapport." He slid closer. His thigh was pressed against hers. He caressed her cheek. "_You_ are the puppet on strings." His eyes were filled with... consideration and understanding. Like he was comforting a sad, heartbroken and humiliated individual.

"And you are the person who hates, I presume, for the sake of-"

He interrupted her. "I am the most indifferent player in this particular game."

She shook her head. "No, if it wasn't for you and your actions, I wouldn't be here."

"True."

His fingers traveled up and down her neck. "Still, I'm just something to bargain about. I have no say in this."

The sensation of his ghostly and barely there fingers felt just as amazing as it disgusted her. I_ must get a grip on myself_! "If you had a say in this matter. What would you say?"

"I would claim it would be too boring without the only idiotic woman who constantly visits me."

"I take that as a compliment."

"You should," he agreed.

…

Loki stared intensely at her. She was a sight, not like the asgardian women, of course, her cheeks were slightly rounder and the cheekbones not quite as high. The characteristic slightly crooked nose and brown eyes were quite dull, his eyes traveled over her lips and to her milk white neck. Maybe it was the lack of female attention lately. Maybe it was her whole persona. Would he even have laid an eye on her if he still was the prince in glory? Probably not. But that didn't stop him from admiring her. This woman pestered him, both physically and mentally, still he enjoyed it. Was she enough to walk over the dead for? Certainly not... or maybe was she? No, she was not.

Perhaps he could make her walk over the dying battle field for him? Just a simple show of affection could perhaps turn her into an alley. He needed an alley if he ever would be let out. Loki smiled and his other hand caught her other cheek. "You've managed to appeal to my... more empathic side." He tilted his head.

"So, you have an empathic side? Is this a way of telling me that you're not the one who hates?" Gwen moved away from his hold on her cheeks. _Not professional_!

She was good, he admitted it, she wouldn't be fooled easily. It would be a fight. He welcomed it. "I believe you owe me a story."

She sighed. "I thought you had forgotten about that," she said with humor in her voice. Her eyes sparkled. "It all starts when I was a kid. I think I was about four years old, maybe five." She lingered. "This sort of ability usually shows itself when the children are very young, especially when they are triggered by a strong feeling... mostly anger," she said with an almost excusing voice.

He chuckled softly.

"If you remember what kind of stuff that could make you angry when you were little, you'll understand... it was a fight between me and a childhood friend over a stupid stuffed animal." Gwen rolled her eyes with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. "I was so angry that I was shaking and crying. I saw the stuffed rabbit first and when she took it from me, I exploded from the anger... and so did the rabbit." She scanned him for any reaction. None. "Her clothes caught on fire as well, though the fire disappeared as quickly as it surfaced. My anger turned to fear."

"What happened after?"

"She was scared of me, of course. She was in shock and barely uttered a word."

He leaned in. She could see he almost was shaking from anticipation. "Did she tell anyone? How did she react? How did the others react?" Gwen noted a heavily beating pulse in his forehead.

"She never told anyone. And she never spoke to me again. Her parents moved shortly after, taking her with them," Gwen told him truthfully. The story had a dull ending.

He fell back. "So no kids were taunting you? Calling you a freak?" He spat the last sentence.

"No." She shook her head and a realization came to her mind. "Did they do that to you?"

"No!" He retorted vigorously.

She dropped the subject. "Was that story pleasing for you."

"Pleasing? Not entirely. No, not at all."

**A/N: Hello there all amazing people who have been reviewing, following and taken your time to 'favorite'! I am looking for a beta, so PM me if you are interested. **

**So a little question to the readers: **

**Do you think Loki is the person who hates for the sake of hating?**

**What's your perspective?**


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